Black Dawn (The Morganville Vampires, #12) in SOS: Serious Overload of Series

Apr 30, 2012 The Flooze rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: urban-fantasy-paranormal, vanquished_2012, ya_teen, owned

People live! People die! Vampires are made! Ghosts pop up! It's MADNESS!

Madness, I say.

And that's not just because Myrnin is involved.

Black Dawn ends what I really consider a two-parter, beginning with the action in Last Breath. Together, they present a tense, emotional story arc that cuts much deeper than any of the previous installments. The majority of the characters strike me as far more adult and realistic than they ever have before, due in no small part to the POV shifts.

It's increasingly People live! People die! Vampires are made! Ghosts pop up! It's MADNESS!

Madness, I say.

And that's not just because Myrnin is involved.

Black Dawn ends what I really consider a two-parter, beginning with the action in Last Breath. Together, they present a tense, emotional story arc that cuts much deeper than any of the previous installments. The majority of the characters strike me as far more adult and realistic than they ever have before, due in no small part to the POV shifts.

It's increasingly obvious that this new writing style is exactly what the series needed. We gain entrance into a variety of minds - Eve, Michael, Shane, Amelie, Oliver, Hannah - and with each one we are finally free of Claire's filter, finally allowed to make our own examination of motivations and feelings. It's a breath of fresh air, for as much as Claire has changed over the course of the series, she's still the same emotionally-charged little thing always crying that life isn't fair. Granted, she always gives others a wary benefit of the doubt, but even that became tiring the thousandth time she was betrayed from an expected corner. As a third person POV, she's become too limiting on her own. But getting so many perspectives? And giving them first person voice? Now that gives us so much more to play with.

Suddenly characters I'd grown weary of, people I'd resigned to cardboard status, are becoming three-dimensional. And I heartily approve. I also appreciate that many of these chapters are from more adult viewpoints - Caine acknowledging that by the 12th book in the series, her readers have matured along with her characters.

As for the story itself: as I said, it's tense. There's a heavy weight to the proceedings, convincing in its insistence that not everyone will make it out alive. A story is far more enthralling when you're led to doubt the survival of favourites, left wondering how on earth things will get resolved. Magnus is a formidable foe, and up to the very end I wasn't sure any of their machinations would do the trick in obliterating the threat.

Part of me still isn't sure, because Caine has laid the groundwork for more tricksy happenings. The Morganville we're left with will, I hope, be a changed thing. I'm a little concerned that the series will devolve back to vampire politics, leader vs. would-be usurpers. But at the same time, that might be entertaining if the current POV shifts remain in place.

Either way, I'm happy to say that there's been enough action in these two books to make up for the lull the series suffered. I'm encouraged, and optimistically looking forward to lucky 13. ...more

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May 17, 2012 Paula Phillips rated it really liked it

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Are you a series folllower ? Do you always wonder how good a series will be once it goes past the number #10 as you wonder to yourself what more can they do with the storyline. I tend to love series , but it takes a really good series to keep me reading it and plugging along. Rachel Caine's Morganville Vampire series is one of those great series that even though we are at Book #12 reading it still makes me excited and ready for action as I was the previous eleven titles. In Book #11 we held our Are you a series folllower ? Do you always wonder how good a series will be once it goes past the number #10 as you wonder to yourself what more can they do with the storyline. I tend to love series , but it takes a really good series to keep me reading it and plugging along. Rachel Caine's Morganville Vampire series is one of those great series that even though we are at Book #12 reading it still makes me excited and ready for action as I was the previous eleven titles. In Book #11 we held our breath symbolically as the book was called "Last Breath" as the creatures known as the Draug - Vampire killers that lure Vampires and Humans in with a song like a siren invaded the town of Morganville. At the end of Book #11 we read as the Draug had captured Michael and Amelia and readers we held our breaths as Michael lost control and nearly killed Eve, it was all on.
Rachel Caine's newest Morganville Vampires book "Black Dawn" carries on straight from the last page of Last Breath, where we read that Eve and Michael are still together but Eve is still hurting from the fact that Michael nearly killed her and Amelia is dying and it doesn't look like she has long to live.
In Black Dawn, Michael and his friends Claire, Shane and Eve along with some of the remaining vampires like Doctor Theo, Hannah the Cop , Richard- The Mayor and his sister Monica and of course Oliver must work together to stop the Draug from taking anymore Vampire lives as the town starts to lose it's population very quickly.
Like her previous books, Black Dawn is told through the different characters POV's and each character's name is at the top of the chapter so we the readers don't get confused.
Black Dawn, will have you holding your breath throughout the novel and having bouts of emotive states as halfway through the novel we read as Shane is consumed by the Draug and we wonder if this is the last of Shane Collins ? , with Amelia on her deathbed and wanting somebody to carry on her legacy as being in charge of Morganville has her eyes set on Claire but in order for Claire to take the role , she must be turned- Will Claire bow to Amelia's orders and become a Vampire ? Will Eve and Michael get past their differences and get around to hurrying up and tying the knot ?
Find out all this and more in another awesome installment of the Morganville Vampires and for those who have read it, join me in anticipation for the release of Book #13 in November. ...more

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Nov 07, 2013 Carolynn (Molly.Groot) Evans rated it it was amazing

Thus far, Black Dawn was by far my favorite. I love the concept of the enemy Caine created- such a cool idea! And I love how simply they ended up being dispatched in the end, after what sounds like centuries of the vampires being plagues by the things. The weapon used genuinely made me laugh out loud when they used the stuff the first time. I enjoyed this one so much for the simple cleverness. That was great, and unexpected! Just loved it.

I also found myself gnawing my lip as I closed the book ...more

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Sep 23, 2012 Caroline rated it really liked it

Been reading The Morganville Vampire Series for a while now and honestly I just love the books. The story lines are never dull and I love the characters.

This book starts right up from where the last book left off. The is a new big bad in town and the crew must get ready to fight for their lives and also to protect the vampires.

Great story, felt some flutters of angst worrying over the future of some of the characters will they live, will they stay together and what does the future hold.

Looking f ...more

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Apr 18, 2012 Deyara rated it it was amazing

Shelves: young-adult, urban-fantasy, char-vampires, ya-paranormal, setting-america

Really like this series, though we are getting close to the end. I liked the draug storyline, and I liked that Shane had a sciencey moment. Myrnin was good here, not too creeper, and while I am a bit ambivalent about Eve/Michael, this arc is interesting story-wise.

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